Paying that Complicated Ten Percent
The Word: Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes… and all nations shall call you blessed (Malachi 3:10-12).
Prayerful Contemplation: One thing is certain: My tithe does not increase or decrease God in any way. Like all the things He commands me to do, it is for my own good. It is impossible for me to “pay” God anything – why else did Christ pay for my sin? Therefore, this is not a favour done to God, but just a test of my obedience. I owe Him a whole lot, but all He asks of me is 10%.
It must mean something that this – Malachi 3 – is the only time in the Bible when the Lord asks me to try Him. It must also mean something when He says, just a few verses earlier, that He is an Immutable God (Malachi 3:6) and does not change like man does. Many people I ask have said that the New Testament does not mention tithing by saints. There are numerous things in the Old Testament that go unmentioned in the New Testament. People argue that we should do as the early church did. Well, the members of the early church sold all their belongings, and gave the money to those in need (Acts 2:44-45). That was not a requirement in the old covenant or in the new, and goes above and beyond tithing. Why have I not done the same, if I consider myself to be a part of the Body of Christ? In other words, like a man named Bayless Conley said, it is possible to get legalistic about absolutely anything.
The tithe should be brought “to the storehouse”. The storehouse was the place where temple money was kept. It was used to provide to those who ministered, as well as to repair the buildings and restore equipment. “That there may be meat [a word used in the KJV to mean food] in My house” means that the tithe is used for the sustenance of the basic needs of the ministers. In other words the tithe was used for the furtherance of ministry. Today, the “storehouse” would be a church.
This means my tithe is different from my offering. The offering is voluntary; the tithe is mandatory, as seen from God’s question, “Will a man rob God?” (Mal 3:8) and must go to the church, or the “storehouse”.
The tithe is not an aspect of the law, because we see from Hebrews that Levi paid tithes when he was in the loins of his great-grandfather Abraham (Heb 7:8-12). Melchisedec received tithes fro m Abraham before the law was ever established; therefore, the law does not affect the giving of tithes. Paul says that Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchisedec (also, Jesus is of the tribe of Judah and not after the Levitical priesthood, which was established by the law). If the tithe was established before the law, it must follow that it continues despite, and after, the law. If I am redeemed by One who is above the law, then I should probably pay my tithes less grudgingly, and in greater amounts, with much less of a legalistic attitude as a child of the God of grace.
If I have been against tithing, it probably has not been because I am diligent to obey the Word, but because I am reluctant to let go of my money. That ten percent can seem like such a large amount especially if I begin to think about how many more “toys” I can have if I save it for myself. The love of money is a root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10) and so the more I hold on to my money, the more likely I am to give the devourer a hold on a part of my life.
Practical Application: I may be able to rob my fellow human beings, but what a crime it would be to rob God, the Creator of the universe and King of kings! If I doubt this verse, He gives me a solution: “Prove me now herewith.” The blessings in my life come from Him. He is the source of even my financial blessings. I have nothing to lose – I earned nothing in my own strength. As I seek the Lord about the truth of the tithe, I should take up His offer and prove Him now herewith, and in the process, make as much “room” for a blessing as I can, because I know from His promise He will pour out more than I can receive. As I do this, however, I should examine my motives and make sure I am not doing it to twist God’s arms, or out of a grudging heart, for it is better not to give at all, than to give without being willing to.
Memory Verse: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone (Matt 23:23).
Prayer: Father in heaven, money is such a sensitive issue, and what a stronghold and trap of the enemy it can become! Jesus taught me to pray, “Deliver us from evil,” and so I pray that You would help me to be obedient, that I may be a peculiar treasure to You. Make me a malleable piece of clay in Your hands, and let me understand that so long as I am in You, I can soar far above my comfort-zone and be a conqueror who does great exploits. I ask this humbly in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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